The Plot:

In the future, mutants have been nearly eradicated by giant robots called Sentinels. They’re created by Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) as a means to protect humans from their evolving counterparts. To avoid these massive killings, Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) team up to send Wolverine (Jackman) into the past to stop a key event that will keep their genocide from happening. Wolverine needs to convince the younger versions of Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to combat a problem much larger than themselves.

The Good:

Character balance:X-Men: Days of Future Past is truly a team movie. Unlike the previous films, with the exception of First Class, it doesn’t focus solely on Wolverine. Yes, he’s a primary character, but he’s just part of a larger picture. Both the old and new characters are given time to shine. That’s something that’s been desperately missing from its X predecessors.

Story: Days of Future Past is an adaptation of one of the greatest comic book arcs every written, so the film has a good starting point. But the way Kinberg weaves it into this action-opera is what takes our breath away. The stakes are huge, and you can feel the weight of the story and not in a bad way. The investment is immediate, which allows you to stick with it as the film goes through fantastical twists and turns.

Action: In 2012, The Avengers pushed the limits of what a superhero team can do, and Days of Future Past takes it even further. Each action set piece served a purpose and was driven by story. It was cleverly shot and well-acted.

Special Effects: Thanks to technological advancements, Singer’s allowed to show how powerful these mutants really are. The display of superpowers is impressive and creative. One of the standouts is Blink (Fan Bingbing) whose use of portals were integral to several of the action scenes.

Tone: Days of Future Past was bleak, light and at times melodramatic but it all worked. The future we were presented was filled with hopelessness and despair, while the past had a thriller element that kept us on the edge of our seats. It’s a true race against the clock.

Nostalgia: Producer Lauren Shuler Donner has stated that X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine should be ignored. Both were poorly reviewed and wreaked havoc on the series’ core characters. Thankfully, Days of Future Past remedies this by retconning almost every piece of poor judgement ever made. It takes us back to why we fell in love with the property in the first place.

Overall:

X-Men: Days of Future Past is the first true X-Men film to hit the big screen. It embodies the spirit of the comics in a way the previous films never did. If you’re a fan who’s been dying for a more faithful adaptation, this is it.